Impact of the "Peers as Family" Dormitory Wing-Based Intervention on College Student Alcohol Use and its Secondhand Effects

Document Type


Publication Date



An intervention to reduce college alcohol use and secondhand effects was tested. Freshmen dormitory wings at a large Mid-Atlantic public university were assigned to single-gender (SG) or mixed-gender (MG) Information-Motivation-Behavior (IMB) workshops implemented during the first weeks of school, or a control condition. Students were surveyed before school began and at 2- and 6-month follow-up. Analyses indicated that, among males, the adjusted mean weekly alcohol use was lower in the SG than the control condition (1.89 vs. 2.72, p = .041). Among females, the adjusted mean weekly alcohol use was lower in the MG than the SG (1.60 vs. 2.44, p = .021) and control condition (1.60 vs. 2.27, p = .056). Further research should identify underlying mechanisms for effective alcohol behavior change among male and female wing-mates.

Recommended Citation

Boekeloo, Bradley O., Melinda G. Novik, Elizabeth N. Bush, and Kevin E. O'Grady. "Impact of the “peers as family” dormitory wing-based intervention on college student alcohol use and its secondhand effects." Journal of drug education 39, no. 4 (2009): 339-359.

DOI for the article